fear online
by manga pen
Summary: Satan and his demons are still looking for sufficient sources of magic in Japan, so Urushihara proposes a plan. he suggests that they use the virtual world of sword art online to gain magic, but when they enter the game, they find that not only are they are trapped, but Maou recognizes the person behind it. (better than it sounds, i suck at summaries.)
1. Chapter 1

Lucifer scrolled down the page, hoping the light from the screen wouldn't wake Satan or Ashiya. He hovered his mouse over the orange purchase button. Only four minutes before it was released. Lucifer took a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure that his room mates were still sleeping. His attention fixed back on the screen, as he began clicking his mouse to be sure that he got at least one copy of the game, as well as the nerve gear that came with it. He counted down the seconds in his head as the orange icon turned green. He started clicking his mouse vigorously. After what seemed like an instant the 'add to cart' button turned grey. The game had sold out. Lucifer took a deep breath, and clicked on his cart. He scrolled down the page, and saw that he had managed to get 11 copies of the game and nerve gear. He sighed in relief.

Then he felt someone grab him by the shoulder.

"Lucifer, What are you-" Ashiya started. Then his gaze fixed on the screen. His eyes widened in rage, as he looked at the price of the objects he was ordering.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!? HIS LIEGE CANNOT AFFORD SUCH THINGS!" Ashiya screamed at Lucifer. Maou groaned and sat up.

"Calm down or you'll wake up the land lady. What is it?" Maou asked, and sat next to Lucifer. His eyes narrowed.

_"I hope you realize that you're going to have to delete those," _he said in an annoyed tone.

"Hear me out first. This game is unbelievably real, and-"

Ashiya cut him off.

"His Liege and I care not what quality this item is!" he shouted. Lucifer put out a hand to silence him.

Ashiya narrowed his eyes.

"_Anyway,_ as you might imagine, you can die in here. And when you do, it's really scary until you get used to it. My point being, we should be able to score some magic in there, easy. Also, no-one has to get hurt."

Maou pondered this. It also meant that he wouldn't have to spend all his magic fixing the mess that had given it to him in the first place. Only one problem…

"Okay, but how do we know that our powers would work in the game?" he asked, skeptical.

"They worked when I tried it," Lucifer said bluntly.

Ashiya's ears pricked up.

"And when _exactly _did you try this game?" he asked

"Few months ago when you two weren't paying attention to me," he answered. Ashiya was about to say something when Lucifer added,

"The demo was free, calm down."

"okay… but there's still no way we can afford this," Maou continued. Lucifer smiled.

"Don't worry, lucky for you two I managed to get my hands on more than one copy," He said.

"So?" Ashiya asked harshly.

"So, these are expensive today… but just wait until tomorrow. The price will easily triple, and with a few extra copies, that leaves us with the money in the bank," Lucifer continued, and smiled smugly. Ashiya crouched in front of the screen, skeptically. He opened a new tab, and hesitated.

"It's called Sword Art Online," Lucifer supplied. Ashiya carefully picked out the letters on the keyboard, one at a time. Lucifer groaned, and pushed Ashiya's hands out of the way. He typed the name of the gameinto the window. He clicked on a video link, and put it on full screen. It showed a reporter outside a Game Shack, the first store to get the game.

"This is Kami Ren, and I am here at the Game Shack, interviewing the people here waiting to get the new game _Sword Art Online_," the camera scanned the sidewalks, lined with tents, chairs, and people who looked like they might pass out soon.

She pointed her microphone at a guy in his 20s waiting near the front of the line.

"So, how much, on a scale of one to ten, do you want this game?" she asked him.

"92," he answered. They laughed, until she moved on to the next question.

"And tell me, how long, have you been camping out to get this game?" she asked.

"Four days," he answered. The reporter turned back to the camera, and smiled.

"This is Kami Ren, signing out," she said. The TV station's logo showed on the screen, before it went black.

"Told you," Lucifer said.

"One thing I don't understand is if the game is so popular, how did you manage to get 11 copies?" Ashiya asked as they unpacked the boxes with the nerve gear in them.

"Never underestimate a demon with a high speed mouse," Lucifer answered, and held up one of the helmets to look at. There was a harsh knock on the door. Maou opened it, unsurprised to see the Hero.

"Hi Emi, come in," he told her, and stepped out of the way. The Hero Emilia walked in, and scanned the room carefully. Her eye caught on the boxes.

"What are those?" she asked, skeptical.

"Ever heard of the game 'Sword Art Online'?" Lucifer asked. Emi Narrowed her eyes.

"No," she answered, and crossed her arms.

"Hmm…" she trailed off, and picked up a piece of nerve gear from a box.

"First game I've seen in the form of a motorcycle helmet," she commented, and tossed it back in the box.

"Hey! Those things are expensive!" Maou told her. Emi rolled her eyes. Lucifer sat down at the computer, posting the extra gear online.

"Hey, Ashiya, How much do you want to sell these for?" he asked

"How much can we get away with?" Ashiya asked.

"At least $2,000, depending on the competitors' prices," Lucifer answered.

"Wait, are you serious?" Emi asked.

"Yup," Lucifer answered.

"Hmm… okay then, $2,000!" Ashiya shouted. Lucifer sighed, and turned back to Ashiya.

"You do realize that's the bare minimum, right?" he asked.

Ashiya pondered this.

"What was the original price again?"

"Nine hundred something dollars," Lucifer answered.

"Okay… $4,000!" he shouted.

"Sure," Lucifer answered and typed the price in. He rolled his shoulders, and picked up a helmet.

"ready to try these things out?" Maou asked.

Lucifer smiled, and plugged his in. Maou followed his lead, and sat down.

"Remind me why we're allowing Lucifer to play," Ashiya said.

"I know how the game works," Lucifer told him, and put his gear on. Ashiya didn't respond, and instead turned to Emi, careful to watch her. Lucifer sighed, and closed his eyes.

"Link, start!" he said into the helmet. The mechanics began whirring, as multicolored light flashed around him.

He signed into his account from when he had demoed the game. The image blurred as it took him to the virtual world. He found himself in a town square, other players forming around him. He grinned, and clicked on the main menu. He went to 'find player', and searched the name 'Maou'. His face popped up. He clicked Maou's Icon, and teleported to him. Maou jumped as Lucifer formed next to him.

"Oh, Hi," he said awkwardly.

"If you want to cause chaos and get magic and stuff, may I suggest the nearest village? Not to mention we can get some cash there," Lucifer told him. Maou frowned.

"okay," he decided. Lucifer remembered that Maou was new to this.

"Actually, scratch that, we should start training, we have advanced durability thanks to our strength in real life, so we shouldn't have too much to worry about… still come on, you should get to know how it works a little more," Lucifer told him, and started towards the nearest field.

Ashiya sliced up cucumbers for the dinner that they were going to have. Emi leaned against the wall, daydreaming.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Ashiya asked her.

"Nope," she answered. He sighed, and continued cutting. The phone on the wall began to ring. Emi instinctively reached for it, then pulled back, reminding herself where she was. Ashiya picked it up, placing the knife on the counter.

"Hello?" he asked.

"I understand that you have someone in your household who is currently playing sword art online," a voice said.

"Yes," Ashiya answered.

"I wish to inform you that under no circumstance are you to remove their nerve gear. The helmet will submit an electromagnetic wave, and kill them,"

"_what?!_" Ashiya asked, stunned.

"Who is it?" Emi asked.

Ashiya ignored her, and kept his focus on the phone.

"They may be killed in the game, and if this happens, the same electromagnetic wave will kill them," the voice continued. Ashiya turned to where Maou and Lucifer lay, mortified. The person on the other line hung up. Ashiya dropped the phone, and walked over to Satin.

"Ashiya? Who was that? Emi asked again. Ashiya swallowed, and turned back to the hero, and explained what he had heard on the phone.

They sat there in silence.

"You know, I bet I could track down the game developer and force him to shut this thing down," Emi offered. Ashiya swallowed. The crease between Emi's eyes narrowed as she began to realize something. If it was true that people who died in the game were murdered…

The Hero's eyes widened. This game was more than just a death trap now. It had the _devil_ playing for Christ's sake!

Emi began to feel sick. All these people were in danger.

_And so is Maou. _

She shook the thought off. Her gaze slowly drifting to the sobbing Ashiya. Biting her lip, she picked up a helmet, plugged it in, and forced it over her head.

(Thank you so much for reading! If you want, please leave a review, the feedback really helps me a lot. follow/favorite for more!)


	2. Chapter 2

Maou bit his lip, gripping the sword Lucifer had given him, the small bear cub growling at him. Maou let out his breath, and swiped at the bear. The sword sliced across its maw. It growled, and tackled Maou.

"Um… you know you're armed, right?" Lucifer asked.

"_Of course _I do! Now, do me a favor and_ get it off!" _Maou hissed through clenched teeth, as he held the sword across his chest, using it to keep the bear of his neck. Lucifer sighed, and stood over Maou. He rammed his sword into the back of the bear's neck. It stiffened, and dissolved into pixilated light. Maou stood up and rubbed his hands on his pants.

"Would you mind explaining why you can take on demons, priests, heroes, and angels, but not a bear cub?" Lucifer asked.

Maou sighed, and sat down on the grass.

"I have a much easier time fighting things that are actually _alive…_ I can sense someone's weaknesses through their movements and hesitations… but these things don't seem to have any. It's unsettling I guess-" Maou was cut off as the momma bear rammed into Lucifer, growling. Maou lashed out on instinct, and sliced his sword along its side. Its health went down almost halfway. Lucifer cursed, and rammed his blade into its neck. The bear gagged, and dissolved.

Lucifer stood, and brushed off his sleeve. Maou relaxed, and sighed.

"God, now I remember why I hate bears," Lucifer said, and sheathed his sword.

"You were saying something?" He asked, and looked up at Maou.

"Never mind," Maou replied. Lucifer shrugged, and studied the field in front of him. He blinked, remembering something. He clicked on his menu.

"What do you want to name our guild?" Lucifer asked, clicking the icon. Maou frowned.

"Guild?" He asked.

"Think of it as an assault team," Lucifer answered. Maou frowned. He sighed, and leaned back.

"Midnight Embers," Maou said at last. Lucifer nodded, and typed in the name, then went to 'invite'. Maou hesitated, and clicked 'join'. Lucifer looked up at a hill.

"Well, if we're going to get anywhere with this, lets find some more stuff to kill," Lucifer suggested, and started climbing the hill. Maou sighed and followed him. Lucifer stood from his perch on the peak of the hill. Scanning over the area, he spread his dark wings.

"Lucifer! Don't use your magic now!" Maou shouted up at him.

"Calm down, we can get tons in this place," Lucifer told the demon king as he lifted himself off the ground. He turned away from Maou, and flew higher up into the sky, spotting the nearest forest. His eye caught on a pair of players slowly walking up the field. He hovered in mid air for a second to look over his shoulder at the demon king slowly making his way down the hill. Lucifer turned back towards Maou, and dove back to the ground. Then a sword flew by his face. He gasped, and flew upwards. Looking back at the players, he narrowed his eyes, and dove towards them, pulling out his sword. One of them stood in front of the other and put his hands up. Lucifer landed, hesitant to attack.

"I'm sorry!" the one in the back screamed. He had reddish hair, and a bandana over his forehead. The other had navy blue eyes, and a decent looking sword.

"Are you okay? We're really sorry, my friend here mistook you for a monster," one apologized. Lucifer sighed.

"It's fine," He said at last.

"My name's Kirito, this is Klein. Sorry, again," Kirito said.

"So, I assume that you're a beta tester? I mean, with those sick wings and everything," Klein commented.

"Yeah, I am," Lucifer answered, sliding his swords back in.

"My name's Lucifer," He introduced himself.

Klein let out his breath, relieved.

Kirito narrowed his eyes, scanning his eyes over the wings. It was about as easy to get wings as it was growing a second head- the game wasn't programed to offer additional body parts. He frowned, confused.

"HEY! Lucifer! What happened?" Maou shouted, and ran to his friend.

"Nothing important, this is Kirito and Klein," Lucifer answered, nodding to the two players.

"What are your plans-" Kirito was cut off as a flash of bluish light appeared, a character forming in front of him. Maou frowned, and looked in front of him to see Emilia.

"EMI!?" He shouted, surprised.

She groaned, and sat down.

"_I really hate you sometimes,"_ Emi mumbled, and slumped.

"Wait- what did I do?" Maou asked. Emi looked up at Maou, depressed. She parted her lips, the words forming in her throat.

They all sat there in silence, after Emi explained the situation.

"_Kayaba… what did he…" _Kirito whispered, and grit his teeth.

"And you followed us here… _why_ exactly?" Maou asked. Emi scoffed.

"_Because _I cant have a pair of demons from hell go into a game where they can murder thousands upon thousands of innocent people!" Emi shouted. Klein gagged as Kirito narrowed his eyes, grabbing the hilt of his sword. Maou paled as Lucifer sighed.

"Don't mind her, she just likes to insult us like that…" Maou trailed off in a nervous laugh.

"Yeah… I hate them a lot…" Emi said honestly. Kirito loosened his grip on his sword.

"Anyway, any ideas on how to survive?" Maou added, desperate to change the subject.

"I mean… we could just… " Klein trailed off, clicking his menu. Sure enough, there was no log out button.

He groaned, and collapsed back on the ground.

"Wait… I have a double shift tomorrow!" Maou said, remembering his job.

"Oh, come on! You're trapped in a death game and you're worried about your stupid job!?" Emi shouted, annoyed.

Kirito stared at the ground, frustrated. There had to be some trick to this. Kayaba wouldn't make it so simple- you're trapped, end of story. Because then it wouldn't be a game. Kirito sighed, and focused on Lucifer and his wings.

"Hey, Lucifer, where'd you get those?" Kirito asked, and nodded towards the dark wings sprouting out of Lucifer's back. Lucifer swallowed.

"Uh… Treasure Chest," He lied, scratching the back of his head.

"Is that so," Kirito said, unimpressed. Lucifer ignored him, and looked up at the sky. It was getting dark, so more dangerous monsters would be coming out. He took a deep breath, letting the chilled air wash over him.

Maou went to his menu, and clicked 'Join Guild.' He displayed the menu to Emi. She scoffed.

"As if I would join forces with you!" She shouted, appalled. He raised an eyebrow. She sighed, and clicked _join. _The menu dissolved. Maou studied Kirito and Klein. He didn't want to get too close to those guys; he doubted that it was worth it. His thoughts shifted back to the game.

"Okay, we need a plan," Maou said, staring at the forest in the distance.

"Says who? We could just live in some village, and not do anything stupid- not to mention I have some friends in here too, we could all team up and start a pretty decent life," Klein suggested. Maou smiled grimly.

"You really think that would work?" He asked, meeting Klein's eyes.

"The game master put us in here because he wants to play with us. If the battleground settles, the monsters will come to us. He wants us to die, simple as that. If we're weak, we might as well be dead," Maou told him darkly. Klein blinked, a lump forming in his throat.

"Lucifer, Emilia and I all have a pretty decent amount of experience as far as fighting is concerned, so I'd say that our abilities combined… we should be able to take on a good amount of monsters. How are you guys?" He asked, and looked up at Klein.

"Yeah, sorry, but I'm a newb at this… so I doubt that I could take on much of anything right now," Klein said sheepishly.

Maou nodded, and turned to Kirito.

"I'm a beta tester, so I know this place okay," Kirito said casually, a small smile forming in the corners of his mouth. Maou nodded.

"So, I assume that there are pretty powerful creatures in the woods," He said, looking up at Lucifer.

"Yeah, especially at night," Lucifer confirmed. Maou pulled out his sword, and turned it in the light. He could potentially turn it into his sacred sword, but there was no saying how much magic that in itself would use up.

"You guys know where we could get some better weapons?" Maou asked.

"Yeah, if we can get back to town we should be able to upgrade-"

Lucifer was cut off as a bell began to ring in the distance. They stared at the place it was coming from. The square.

"What is that-" Emi was cut off as the world dissolved in pixilated colors. Maou frowned, startled, as the world brought itself back together. He found himself back in the square, confused. Lucifer formed next to him, followed by Emi, Klein and Kirito.

"Hey, what the heck just happened?" Emi demanded.

"A forced teleport," Kirito answered, not meeting her eyes. A shiver ran up Maou's back, feeling the panic around him, transforming into magic in his system. He grit his teeth, and tried to keep himself from transforming. Emi latched her gaze on him, clenching her fists. Maou swallowed, looking up at the sky, his eyes glowing red. Klein looked at him, concerned.

"You okay?" He asked. Maou nodded, forcing the magic into his core. The red glow from his eyes faded. He met Klein's gaze, and smiled, reassuring him.

"Okay…" Klein trailed off. Maou sighed in relief. Then he was practically thrown over by a huge wave of new founded fear and panic.

_Damn it…_ He trailed off in his head as his horns began to sprout from his skull. He held his hands over his head, using some of his magic to hide them and force them back into his skull.

"Maou?" Klein asked again. Kirito frowned. His attention fixed on the sky. A single red hexagon sat directly above them. The crease between Kirito's eyes tightened. In an instant, more began running down the sky.  
>Maou felt even more confusion around him. Gritting his teeth, he contained the power under his skin. Emi looked up in disgust, to see red ooze seeping through cracks in the pattern that had formed across the sky. The ooze collected together, and began to form a cloaked figure. Lucifer studied the figure forming, recognition forming on his face. He and Maou exchanged a glance, and looked back to the figure now looming over the crowd. Emi narrowed her eyes, summoning some celestial force to her hand. Kirito looked over the three, each in turn, his gaze then fixing on the figure as it began to speak.<p>

"Attention players," It began. Emi scowled, clenching her fists.

"I welcome you, to my world,"

Kirito stared up at him, anger building in his heart.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment, I am in control of this world," He continued.

Emi growled, and summoned her sword, her pink hair becoming silky white. Kirito locked his gaze on her, eyes wide.

"_What da flip-" _Klein whispered, eyes fixed on her.

"Please tell me that's not who I think it is," Emi hissed at Maou, teeth clenched. He swallowed.

"Malacoda," Maou answered.

"I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus… the log out button," The game master said to the crowd. Lucifer sneered, and launched himself into the air, leveling himself with Malacoda. The crowd's focus shifted to the winged player. Malacoda registered the demon in front of him. He continued, ignoring Lucifer, not wanting to appear weak, or ruin his introduction. The game master summoned his menu, and displayed it for the crowd. Lucifer scowled.

"Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game-"

"HEY! MALICODA, I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Lucifer shouted. The game master continued to treat Lucifer like an annoying fruit fly. Lucifer groaned.

"Lucifer! Get down from there!" Maou shouted. Lucifer graoned, and dove back to earth.

"Well, he recognized me at least for a second," Lucifer managed, landing on the cobblestone. Maou growled turning back to the figure.

"Despite my warnings, some of the families have attempted removing the nerve gear. An unfortunate mistake to say the least," Malacoda continued. The fear of the crowd seemed to become thicker as the game master's words began to sink in.

Maou narrowed his eyes. If Malacoda ignored Lucifer, then he wouldn't acknowledge the demon king, either. He honestly doubted that the general would endanger himself also, so Maou couldn't successfully attack him.

"There are now 213 less players then when the game began," Malacoda added.

"_213," _Kirito whispered. Klein swallowed. Malacoda clicked something, and several articles and pictures appeared in front of him. Murmurs, and whispers rippled across the crowd.

"As you can see, international media outlets have round the clock coverage of everything, including the deaths,"

"So…I guess Malacoda found a gate, and got into the game industry… how do you figure that happened?" Lucifer asked. Kirito frowned.

"What the heck are you _talking _about?" He demanded.

Lucifer and Emi exchanged a glance. They each looked at Maou. He shook his head, no.

"Stuff," Lucifer told him. Kirito frowned. He didn't appreciate being left out of the loop.

"Yeah, do you know that guy?" Klein asked, and pointed back up at the game master.

"Um… I mean… uh… no?" Maou lied. Klein groaned, frustrated. "Okay, what exactly is going on here?" He asked.

Maou pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," He told Klein.

"Okay, well Guess what, I'm worried," Klein hissed.

"Would you guys _shut up?!" _A girl with dark hair hissed. She turned back to Malacoda.

"There is only one way for a player to escape now. You must clear the game. Now you are gathered on floor one; the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon, and defeat the boss, you can advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100, and you will clear the game," He explained.

"_We can't clear all hundred floors… that's freaking impossible…" _Klein said, mostly to himself.

"Speak for yourself," Lucifer said, eyes locked on the game master.

"Last but not least… I placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look," He said. Lucifer frowned, and clicked his inventory. He blinked, and clicked on the small mirror. It formed in his hand. He held it up to his face, his slit eyes beginning to glow as panic rose around him. He saw Kirito dissolve into blue light.

Kirito's stomach dropped as the world became pixilated, dissolving. Heart pounding, he screwed his eyes shut as the world began to reform around him. He gripped the mirror, catching a glance of his reflection. His real reflection. Kirito let the mirror slip out of his hand, dropping on the ground and shattering into blue light. His eyes fixed on Lucifer, who seemed unaffected.

Lucifer had decided to go with the default of his real face because he was too lazy to play dress up with a new appearance. His eyes fixed on a player next to him, staring at him, panicked.

"Kirito?" He asked. Kirito swallowed.

"Yeah," he answered, looking around him at the unfamiliar faces surrounding him. Someone tapped Lucifer's shoulder. Lucifer turned to see… Klein? He seemed different, but the headband gave him away. Klein was about to say something when the game master began to speak again.

"Right now, you're probably wondering 'why'? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of nerve gear and sword art online do this?"

Lucifer sighed.

"_Maou… you have any idea how this guy got through the gate?" _Emi asked.

"_Well, first off, I thought you killed him," _Maou whispered back.

"_I __**did**__! I blew up his entire military base, there's no way he survived that," _She hissed.

"_Was he actually __**on**__ the military base?" _Maou asked.

"Of course he was!" Emi shouted at him. The people around them looked at her. She cleared her throat.

"_I mean, __**yes**__, me and my army chased him inside, and surrounded him. There's no way he escaped! Unless he… damn it, he opened up a gate before he got blown up, the coward!" _The hero growled, and slapped herself on the forehead. Maou's ears pricked up at a very familiar sound.

"SIRE!" he heard from behind him.

"Don't tell me…" He turned around to see Ashiya, in his demon form, weaving his way through the crowd towards Maou.

"My lord, please forgive the delay, it was merely impossible to locate you- until I saw Lucifer fly into the sky, giving away your location," Ashiya told Maou, bending down on one knee.

"Ashiya… you didn't…" Maou trailed off.

"I couldn't simply abandon my liege! Sire, I am here to help, and nothing more," Ashiya told Maou. Klein blinked.

"Did he just call you 'sire'?" Klein asked. Kirito's eyes fixed on Ashiya's face. He was wearing some dark paint- his gaze lowered to the long scorpion tail curling from his tailbone. Okay, wings were pushing it, but a freaking scorpion tail? No. There was no way a player could get their hands on one of those, and attach it to their body.

"Okay, tell me something. Who are you?" Kirito demanded. Maou swallowed.

"Um… Maou," he answered. Kirito scoffed.

"Not your name. Who are _you_?" He asked.

"Well, I'm A level staff at the MgRonalds near Saturuki Train Station," Maou said proudly, dodging the question. Kirito growled.

"Do I look like a care what your job is?" He asked.

"Yeah! And what was with the glowing red eyes earlier?" Klein asked.

"Oh my god, just SHUT UP!" A kid shouted at them. Maou looked up as Malacoda began to sink back into the sky. More panic rose in the streets. Maou growled.

_Screw it,_ he thought, and let some of the magic into his system. His eyes began to glow again.

"Come on, it's over," Maou said in a voice that seemed deeper, and distorted. He walked down the street. The two demons, and the hero followed him.

"_Klein, come on," _Kirito whispered, and followed the Maou.

"Okay, I want to know _now. What is going on?" _Kirito demanded. Emi sighed.

"Trust me, its not worth it," She told him. He sighed, and bit the inside of his cheek.

"We're players, just like you," Maou tried to convince him.

"Yeah… but… you're not are you? You recognized the game maker, and on a personal level. Who are you- for real?" Kirito asked again.

"After you," Maou said. Kirito frowned.

"I get the vibe that you're not an average player either. So, _Kirito_, you tell us all of your secrets and who you are, and you get to know who _we _are," Maou told him.

Kirito swallowed. He sighed, and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you could say I'm not exactly an ordinary player… when I got the demo, I played constantly. I have more information than most beta testers combined- I know this whole place like the back of my hand," He said.

"Okay, now your turn. Who are you?" Kirito asked.

Maou chuckled.

"One more thing-" He clicked his Menu, and went to 'Join guild'. The blue and red buttons appeared. Kirito hesitated. He hadn't wanted to join any guilds before because he figured in the end, he would probably just be pulling the other players' dead weight… but these guys seemed to have too much pride to let that happen for one thing- and they also seemed pretty powerful, not to mention determined. He sighed, and clicked _join. _The devil smiled.

Kirito looked at Maou expectantly. The demon king sighed, and bit his lip, trying to decide how to explain this. It was easier with Chi because she had seen him doing some serious magic… He decided to start with the basics.

"The name 'Maou' is fake. I'm actually Satan… funny story actually-"

"Wait Satan as in _the Devil!?" _ Klein demanded. Kirito narrowed his eyes.

"Heh, heh… uh… yeah, about that… well, actually-"

"Don't worry, he can't do anything to you. For one, he's one of the wimpiest demons that you'll ever meet, and second, I'm actually a hero. I followed him into this death game so that I could keep an eye on him. Like I said, you have nothing to worry about," Emi added with a smile. Klein's eyelid twitched. He grit his teeth, and took a step away from them.

"Okay, I'll be honest with you. I don't exactly have time for demons. Like I mentioned earlier, I have some friends, and they're back at the square. My top priority is them, so if you don't mind, I have to go," He said rather sternly. Maou kept a solid gaze with him. Klein let go of his breath, and turned around, running back to the square.

Maou watched him go. One less player in this guild would make things easier. He sighed, and turned back to Kirito who looked like he was prepared to attack.

"You know, for a demon king, he's not very demonic," Lucifer added. Ashiya turned to him.

"You see here, his liege is slowly taking over this world through the fast food industry! He is plenty demonic!" Ashiya defended Maou. Kirito studied the group… if they were demons it would explain a lot… but still. He felt a terrible sense of fear nagging inside him.

Kirito had not only joined a Guild. He had joined a guild with the devil.


	3. Chapter 3

Kirito stared at the ceiling of his room as he lay down on his bed. He held his hand in front of his face. He felt frustratingly numb. If his life was on the line, why did it feel like such an illusion? His eyes softened. Kirito sat up, and unsheathed his sword. Gripping it, he slowly stood. In one flowing move, he stepped forward, striking the air. A surge of power ran through his veins. A small smile formed in the corners of his mouth. His sister would be proud of him… at least he thought so. Kirito actually wished that she was here right now, though it was selfish of him, he felt like this would be easier if someone he knew was in the game with him. Someone he could undoubtedly trust. Kirito lowered his sword to his side. He still had a guild… but he didn't belong. He knew that much. He just felt so alone. Kirito's ears pricked up as someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," he said, just loud enough for Emi to hear. The door let out a soft creak as she slowly opened it.

"You okay? We were wondering if you were coming down to eat," she told him, walking in. Kirito met her eyes as she raised her eyebrow a little, smiling. He swallowed. Emi scanned his face, trying to read his thoughts. She did her best to choose her next words carefully, not quite sure what was on his mind.

"I won't tell you to ignore what Maou is… but trust me when I say that he won't hurt you. He didn't invite you to join the guild to kill you off," Emi told him. Kirito bit the inside of his cheek.

"So… you gonna come down and eat now, or what?" Emi asked. Kirito sighed.

"Maybe later," he answered, turning away from her to look out the window. Emi sighed.

"_Fine_. Just let us know when you're ready to eat," she told him, disappointed, and walked out the door, closing it behind her. Emi walked downstairs, the floorboards groaning as she stepped on the old wood. It was kinda funny. She almost felt like she was back in Enta Isla. The lantern light reminded her of her old house. She could almost feel the straw scratching against her cheek, as she thought back to when she had spent the night in the barn reading. A soft smile formed on her lips, the memories making her feel warm and fuzzy. Her gaze shifted to the table where the three demons were sitting. She walked over to them, noticing that her food had arrived, and slid into her seat.

"Hey, how's Kirito doing?" Maou asked, looking up at her. Emi sighed.

"Well, he's alive. Though, I get the feeling that he wants to be alone," she answered.

"Oh really," Lucifer said, slightly sarcastic.

"Oh, will you just shut up?" Emi growled, annoyed.

"Maybe he'll come down for breakfast," Maou said, looking back up at the stairs.

"I honestly wouldn't count on it. Kirito seems pretty unsettled by you guys," Emi commented.

"And what about you?" Lucifer asked Emi, poking his meal with his fork, not meeting her eyes.

Emi scowled.

"Well of course he's not as scared of me, I'm at least _half_ human, not to mention angel!" she retorted.

"Is that so," Lucifer said, trying to remind himself that he was in a video game, to keep himself from missing his computer.

"My liege, you seem rather distraught by Kirito's absence," Ashiya said to Maou as Lucifer and Emilia bickered behind them.

"Nah, I'm fine, just a little bit worried. I know that all the stuff that's been going on must take time to sink in, but I doubt that it's just about us demons and hero,"

"I assure you, Kirito shall come around. Time is all this situation calls for," Ashiya assured Maou. The demon king gave a slight nod in response, staring up at the stairway.

Kirito stared out the window, his eyes fixed on a string of lanterns hanging from a shop across from the inn. The lantern light danced in his eyes. He found it strange that a demon would be able to create a world so beautiful, even if it was destroying lives. Kirito's thoughts shifted to the guild. He was usually used to feeling superior to others in a guild because of his immense gaming skills, but he didn't even compare to the rest of his guild. A half angel, two demon generals, and an overlord. Needless to say, he felt intimidated. Especially by Maou. Kirito slowly stood up. He felt lonely because he felt like he didn't belong… though in some weird way, maybe he did. He might be weaker than the otherworldly beings, but he had befriended them, and a powerful ally was always a step up, especially in a dangerous situation like this. Demons or not, Lucifer, Ashiya and Maou had been nothing but welcoming to him. Emi had been kind to him for as long as he had known her. Kirito walked around his bed, across the room.

He hesitated as he reached for the golden doorknob. Sighing, he gripped it, opening the door. His eyes adjusted to the golden glow of the lantern light illuminating the hallway. He did trust Emi- to some degree. So he would trust her word, if she said that Maou wouldn't hurt him… then he believed her. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he walked down the hallway to join his guild.

Chiho sniffled, and adjusted the blanket around Maou's motionless body. Ashiya had called her before going into SAO, asking her to care for them in their current state. He wanted to stay out of the hospital… but Chi and her family had enough money to at least give them proper care. She didn't want them in the hospital because she was afraid that if they got magic in the game like they had planned, then they might transform in public. That hadn't happened yet, thankfully. Chi jumped at a knock on the door. Chi carefully walked over to the door and opened it a crack. She sighed in relief. It was Suzuno.

"Come in," Chi said happily, opening the door.

"How is the current state of the demons and hero?" Suzuno asked.

"They seem alright… but I'm still worried. We hired a nurse and doctor to take care of them, and they can't seem to think of much to do accept wait," Chi told her. Suzuno nodded.

"Well, I decided to try and physically shut down the game from the outside. All the players trapped should wake up," Suzuno told Chi.

"Okay… why did you tell me?" Chi asked.

"I need you to assist me by using your assets to figure out where the game master is," Suzuno told her. Chi frowned.

"Well, my dad has been talking a lot about the incident. But if he knew where Kayaba, the creator of SAO, was hiding, the server would already be shut down,"

A thought occurred to Chi.

"Well… actually, my dad has some ex employees of the game at the police station. They've been in interrogation for a couple days now. You could probably get something out of them if you want," Chi suggested. Suzuno frowned.

"Do you think I could take a look at them tonight?" Suzuno asked. Chi nodded, serious. Suzuno stared out the window, spotting a robin fly from its nest. Her eyes softened. She would get the information she needed. Then she would save her friends.

Emi sighed and leaned against the back of the chair. Kirito had decided to join them a few minutes ago, and there had been a pretty thorough awkward silence ever since. She honestly felt sorry for the guy, fitting in with a guild like this wasn't exactly a piece of cake.

Kirito didn't know how he thought this would be a good idea. His bowl of soup sat in front of him, untouched.

"So… Kirito, what's on your mind?" Maou asked, attempting to break the silence. Kirito shrugged, looking out the window.

Lucifer's ears pricked up as a high-pitched beep clung to the air. Then his main menu appeared, the inbox flashing. Lucifer frowned, and clicked on it. It displayed a new message. He tapped it, the message forming in a hologram before his eyes.

_ Hello. My name is Diabel, and my role is knight. My party and I would humbly wish to invite you/your guild to join me at the stadium ruins, tomorrow at 10:30. We have discovered the boss room, and are gathering as many players as we can find to help us defeat the boss. If we can gather as many players as we hope, there will be no danger. We hope to see you there-_

_Diabel. _

Lucifer blinked.

"_His 'role' is knight?" _He whispered, almost amused by this. He wondered when this guy would realize that there's no job system in the game. Lucifer scanned over the words again.

"What is it?" Maou asked. Lucifer kept his gaze on the message, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Someone found the boss room. They want us to help them," Lucifer answered. A dark haze seemed to settle over the table. Emi parted her lips to speak.

"Where do they want us to meet up?" She asked.

"Stadium ruins, 10:30, tomorrow," Lucifer answered. The hero gave a brief nod. Kirito stared at the ground.

"I think we should go. We should help clearing the game in as many ways as possible," he said.

"Indeed, our rent will be due next month, we cannot afford to stay here," Ashiya added.

"Okay, I guess it's settled then. But before we go to the boss room, we need to stock up on more gear," Maou suggested.

Emi frowned, remembering something "Actually… there's something I've been meaning to talk to you guys about…" She clicked her inventory and opened her hand as the small potion bottle formed.

"What's that?" Maou asked.

"It's titled 'Celestial Force' in my inventory, but I have no idea how I got it. Not to mention why Malacoda would even let this stuff exist in 'his world'," She told them. Maou frowned as she handed him the bottle. He clicked his own inventory, surprised to see a ton of new gear. He tapped on a sword, curious. He grit his teeth, his arm weighed down by the huge blade as it formed in his hand. Scanning over it, he found that this was his weapon of choice back in Enta Isla.

"Well, well. It seems that Malacoda is giving us the special treatment," Lucifer commented, scanning over his own inventory. Ashiya grinned as he clicked on his generals' cape, it forming in his hands. Kirito frowned, and went to his stock. He was surprised to see tons of coins and healing crystals.

"Well, I can understand him wanting to help you guys out, but why would he give me anything?" Emi asked, confused.

"You are in our guild now, _Hero. _As far as Malacoda is concerned, you're my ally," Maou told her. A shiver ran up Emi's back. She opened the bottle, and took a quick whiff.

"Still… It could be poison," the demon king added. Emi poured a little on her napkin, and dabbed it on her hand. It sank into her skin. She summoned some celestial force to her fingertips. Emi went to her inventory, and got a healing crystal ready.

"It seems like the real thing…" she commented, and touched the bottle to her lips. She drained it, the taste purer than water. A shiver ran up her spine.

"Yeah, this is Definitely Celestial force," She said, tossing the flask back on the table. Lucifer adjusted his new cloak around his shoulders.

"So… forgive me, but does Malacoda wish us alive or dead?" Ashiya asked. Maou leaned against the back of his chair.

"Well, he certainly doesn't want to make us mad. I mean, so say we clear the game. If we find him, he's pretty much screwed. On the other hand, he can't just let us go, or there would be mayhem in the press that some players survived. He's holding everyone in the game hostage, so some of his safety is making sure the police know that he could kill everyone with the click of a button. Letting us go could destroy that, so he's giving us a big advantage to keep us in his best interests. He could just kill us, but then when he eventually went back to Enta Isla, he wouldn't have any allies to help him deal with the church. He might also plan on taking over this world, but it's a big planet. Any form of weaponry that the humans had back in Enta Isla, you know celestial force, sacred swords, giant hammers and what not is pretty much matched by this worlds explosives and firearms. He might not be able to handle it if he has to face the entire planet on his own. In his mind, that's where we come into play. A demon general is nothing without an army, so at the very least he needs a council to leave his loyalties to. So… making sure that we are still allies is probably the best approach in this scenario," Maou answered.

Ashiya nodded.

Kirito swallowed.

"So… you're helping him destroy the real world when all this is over?" He asked quietly. Maou shrugged. Kirito narrowed his eyes. Then Maou's eyes began to glow red. His voice broke into Kirito's mind.

_-No way in hell. Oh, and Malacoda is most likely monitoring us, so I would pipe down on the more sensitive subjects.- _Maou said, using telepathy. Kirito stiffened, rather startled. Maou continued eating his food casually. The others seemed almost as surprised as Kirito, so he assumed that they had heard him too. Lucifer rested his chin on his hand, continuing the conversation.

"I'm just curious how Malacoda fit into the human world so well. I mean, didn't he have a skull for a head?" he asked.

"He's a used to be a priest of magic, even if the gate didn't turn him into his human form, which I imagine it did, he would be able to figure something out on his own,"

Maou told Lucifer. There was another mingling silence as Kirito thought out what to have Maou explain first. He decided to ask a little about Enta Isla, when Maou began to speak.

"I wonder how Chi's doing," he said, staring out the window.

Emi sighed, and crossed her arms.

"I imagine she can't be doing any worse than we are right now," she commented. Ashiya began debating in his head wither or not to explain the situation to Maou. Deciding that it wouldn't be acceptable to keep anything from his king any longer, he began to speak.

"I imagine that she's watching us as we speak," Ashiya said rather quietly. Maou's ears pricked up.

"What-did-you-just-say?" he asked, his temper growing very short. A bead of sweat ran down the back of Ashiya's neck.

"I asked Chi to take care of our bodies in their current state-"

Maou narrowed his eyes.

"So what you mean to say is that you asked her to go out of her way to take care of our sleeping bodies instead of sending us to a hospital?" Maou asked Ashiya, clenching his fist. Ashiya swallowed.

"You idiot! I got a new health insurance plan last week! They would have covered it!" Maou shouted. Ashiya's eyes widened.

"Oh, gimme a break," Emi said, unimpressed with the demons cheapness, as Ashiya apologized to Maou repeatedly. Lucifer honestly didn't seem to care, as he scrolled through his inventory, looking at his new stuff.

Kirito stared out the window, at the shop with the lanterns strung across the doorway. His eye caught on a hooded figure in the shop, scrolling through her menu. He frowned, trying to lock eyes with her, but she wouldn't look up. Kirito slowly turned back to face Maou, who had seemed to have let go of his frustration at Ashiya.

"So… you guys want to kill the boss?" Lucifer asked to be sure.

"Of course we do," Emi told him rather dismissively. Lucifer's gaze shifted to Maou.

"Yeah, we do," he answered. Kirito swallowed.

Lucifer went back to his inbox, and clicked the message he had received from Diabel. He clicked reply, and typed in his message;

_We'll be there._

_(Hey guys, sorry for taking so long, my school had a really stressful project on us for the past few weeks so I wasn't able to do any writing. thanks for reading this, I really appreciate it. If you could please leave a comment, that would be very helpful. Thanks, follow/favorite for more!)_


	4. Chapter 4

Lucifer stared off into space, his head resting on his hand. He honestly wished that Malacoda hadn't made the sun so bright... he closed his eyes, the after images of light bouncing off the stadium still present in his vision. he slowly opened his eyes again, getting bored with the darkness.

A boy with powdery blue hair stood up and cleared his throat. Lucifer blinked.

"Okay people! Now that everyone's here, lets get this meeting started. So anyway I wanna thank everyone for coming. My name is Diabel, and the job I role is knight," Diabel announced. Lucifer raised an eyebrow. No-one had told him yet. The crowd burst into laughter.

"Dude! There's no job system in this game!" someone shouted.

And… there it was. Lucifer rolled his eyes.

Diabel's face turned a deep shade of red. "Do you guys wanna hear this or not?" He demanded, embarrassed.

"Anyway, here's the deal. My party found the boss room is at the top of the tower," Diabel said, cutting to the point. Lucifer's eyes shifted to the building looming in the distance. His gaze drifted back to Diabel as he began to speak again.

"And I believe that it is our duty as the most capable players to show the people in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game!"

there was a brief silence as people began to clap and cheer.

Emi kept her gaze fixed on the tower, a shiver running up her spine as she remembered being thrown down the side of the Ente Isla version. Her ears pricked up at Diabel giving directions. She turned to face him.

"We should split up into parties of six, a regular party wont be able to survive on their own," he added. Maou frowned, scanning over his guild. There were only five of them. He dismissed this, for his party was anything but 'normal.' Kirito crossed his arms, his gaze slowly shifting to a hooded figure sitting by herself in the corner of the stands.

"Hey," he said, and nudged Maou with his elbow. Maou's gaze shifted to the girl. He stood, and walked over to her.

"you look lonely," Maou commented. She started to look up, but then decided to keep her gaze on the ground.

"That's okay," Asuna said. Maou raised an eyebrow.

"well, our party needs one more if you want to join," he offered. Asuna turned to look at the guild. Her eyes locked with Kirito's. She wanted to join a party… it was better than being alone… but she had to tread cautiously. There was no telling who these people really were.

Emi rolled her eyes, stood and walked over,

"Maou, stop making her uncomfortable. Hello, my name's Emi Yusa, It's nice to meet you," Emi said, and reached out her hand to shake Asuna's. Asuna hesitated, and shook Emi's hand.

"I'm Asuna," she said, not wanting to appear rude.

"Well then, Asuna, how would you like to form a party with us?" Emi asked and smiled.

Asuna looked at the ground.

"Okay," she said quietly. They didn't seem too dangerous…

Emi grinned. Asuna slowly stood, as Emi displayed the 'join party' option to her. She clicked agree. Kirito kept his attention on her, glad to have another human in the party. His ears pricked up at the sound of someone shouting at the crowd. He frowned, and turned to the noise. Someone was ranting about the beta testers. He honestly didn't want to listen, or care. A lump formed in his throat. he honestly felt a little guilty, even though he knew he had done nothing wrong… but the amount of anger people felt towards people like him. He looked over at Lucifer, who wasn't even looking at the guy, just tinkering with his menu. Kirito's eyes softened. Tomorrow was the boss fight. He hoped that no-one would get hurt.

))|((

Suzuno stared into the eyes of one of SAO's engineers. He swallowed.

"I am searching for Kayaba, and I believe that you are aware of his whereabouts. Would you care to tell me?" Suzuno asked. The man pursed his lips. Suzuno waited patiently.

"What would you do to me if I said I don't know?" he asked.

"Wait here until you realize that it is in all our best interests if you speak the truth,"

"Well it might be a while in that case, because _I don't know,"_

Suzuno continued staring at him, unmoving and unimpressed. He swallowed.

"You're trying to skin a bone here, friend. I don't know where Kayaba went. Why would he tell me anyway? There's no reason for me to know that!" he told Suzuno.

"Indeed. But I believe that you know something, even if it is less useful than the game masters whereabouts. So you are going to tell me," Suzuno said, the man testing her patience.

he sighed.

"Listen lady, I got jail time to burn. you on the other hand probably have other places to be," he told Suzuno.

her eyes softened. if only she had enough celestial force to read his mind... she clenched her fists, trying to break through, and failing. she sighed, and stood.

"Until next time," she told him, and walked out the door. She was coming back, and she would find Kayaba.

(-(|)-)

Asuna had gone back to the inn with the rest of her party, and had agreed to have dinner with them. Maou didn't really know what to talk about because this arrangement was temporary, he couldn't tell her about their true forms, and that threw several good topics out the window.

"So, I take it that you don't have a guild," Kirito managed. Asuna gave a brief nod from under her hood.

"I hadn't really interacted with other people much before now," she said flatly, and took a bite of her meal. Kirito nodded.

"May I ask why?" he asked. Asuna stared at her lap.

"It's just… no-one reached out to me, and I'm not one to try too hard to make friends," she said quietly. Kirito's eyes softened.

"Yeah… I can kinda relate with you there. But everyone seems to come to me," he told her. Asuna loosened her shoulders.

"That must feel nice," she told him. Kirito swallowed. Emi crossed her hands behind her head and sighed.

"So what do you think this boss will be like?" she asked. Lucifer crossed his arms.

"I fought this thing in the demo, but it wasn't in the tower. Must've relocated it to keep it a surprise. From what I remember, it was big, red, and fat, with weird horns," he tried to remember right. Asuna laughed a little.

"Like a little devil," she commented. The blood rushed to Maou's face. Emi laughed.

"Yeah, exactly!" she shouted. Maou rolled his eyes. Asuna frowned. Maou seemed a little insulted by her comment, but she couldn't think why… she looked back at her lap. Kirito sighed. He felt a little sorry for the girl. Emi looked at the clock. If the rules that Emeralda had given her still applied here, then she should probably have some… She went to her inventory, and summoned one of the flasks to her hand.

"What's that?" Asuna asked.

"Oh, what this stuff? It's… just a magic skill enhancer,"

Asuna frowned. "I thought magic wasn't on the skill list…" she commented, and went to her menu to double check. Maou shot Emi a glance.

-_Well, do something!- _he told her using telepathy.

"Oh, did I say magic? Sorry, I meant it worked like magic, you know magic as in _like_ magic, not magic as in magic as a _skill_," Emi forced a laugh.

"Oh," Asuna said, embarrassed. "Sorry," she added.

"Don't worry about it! just a little misunderstanding that's all," Emi told her. Asuna nodded.

"So… what's that stuff taste like anyway?" Maou asked as Emi took a swig from the flask.

"See for yourself," she told him and pulled a bottle from her inventory. Asuna's eyes widened as she caught a glance at the screen. Emi had thousands of bottles of the enhancer. Emi tossed Maou the crystal flask. Maou caught it, and dropped it on the table.

"No, you idiot, I cant have this! It would be fatal to my magi-" Maou caught himself, his eyes latching on Asuna, who seemed rather confused. Maou cleared his throat.

"Um… no thanks, I couldn't accept this. It belongs to you," he told her and tossed it back to Emi. She forced a laugh.

"right, of course," she told him, and put it back into her inventory. Asuna's gaze shifted from Maou to Emi. Why would she take it back when she had so much of the stuff? Something about this wasn't adding up…

Maou laughed nervously. His gaze shifted to the clock.

"Wow, look at the time! We should probably get to bed," Maou said. He blinked, remembering that they had forgotten to give Asuna a room.

"Just a second, I'll be right back," Maou said, and stood. He walked over to the front counter, and rang the bell. A man with dark circles under his eyes walked up and forced a smile.

"Hey, I would like to rent a room real quick," Maou told him. the man blinked, and pointed at the board behind his head. Maou raised an eyebrow. No vacancy. He sighed, and walked back to the table.

"Sorry Asuna… there're no rooms available," Maou told her and sat down.

"No problem, you can crash with me. They gave me two beds anyway, so it won't be a problem," Emi told her.

"Thank you," Asuna said quietly.

"If you're tired, I could show you where the room is," Emi offered, and began to stand before Maou quickly grabbed her sleeve.

"Um… actually, Kirito, Emi's room is next to yours right? Would you mind taking her there, the four of us need to have a little talk," Maou said with a smile. Emi sighed, and tossed Kirito the keys.

"Just don't break anything," she added. Kirito nodded, and stood. Maou waited until they were started up the stairs and walked outside. The other three followed him as he turned into an alleyway.

"What is it, sire?" Ashiya asked Maou. Maou closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"We have to go and fight the boss now," he said, and turned to face the others.

"What? Are you _crazy?"_ Emi asked. He met her eyes.

"You think that no-one will get hurt if we allow the humans to fight with us? We won't be able to use our magic if we're surrounded by people, or we would be constantly hunted. Did you hear that speech that that dude gave right after the meeting? People hate beta testers because they have a tiny advantage. Do you have any idea how they would react if they found out the game-master is giving us free stuff, and that we have magical abilities? Besides, if we can unleash on the thing, we could defeat it without anyone having to get hurt," Maou told Emi. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Yeah, and what about Asuna? By your logic there's no way we could take her with us, and we cant just ditch her!" Emi told him.

"We wait until she's asleep then slip out without her noticing," Maou suggested. Emi rolled her eyes.

"yeah… and the people who are going to try and fight the thing? What are they going to do when they find out someone beat them to it?" Emi asked him.

"They don't need to know, besides if we don't do this, people could die!" Maou shouted. Emi scanned Maou's expression. She took a deep breath.

"Fine," she said finally. Maou nodded.

"Meet down here at midnight. We're not going to lose,"

"Well, here you are," Kirito told Asuna, as she walked into the room. She walked over to the window, and stared out at the sky. Kirito started to close the door when she stopped him.

"Wait… come in," she said, and turned to face him. He hesitated before walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

"You know that feeling when you think someone is hiding something?" she asked. Kirito stiffened.

"Um… Yeah, I guess," he answered. She nodded. Her eyes drifted to the street below the window as she saw Maou and the others walking into an alleyway. She frowned.

"Hey, do you know what they're saying down there?" she asked, as the group began speaking. Kirito swallowed, and sat down next to Asuna. He caught words like 'humans' and 'magic'. Probably a demon esc. conversation.

"No, sorry," he lied.

"Oh. Sorry, I was just wondering. My listening skill isn't very high," Asuna told him. Kirito nodded.

"I wonder what the fight tomorrow is going to be like," she commented.

"Yeah," Kirito said.

"So, your guild sure is an odd bunch," Asuna told him. Kirito's ears pricked up.

"Why do you say that?" he asked nervously.

"Well they certainly seem like they've been through a lot together, though I guess that's not really abnormal… but they seem kinda mysterious, you know?" she told him.

He shrugged. "They're really quite normal when you get to know them," Kirito lied. Asuna shrugged. Someone opened the door. Kirito turned to see Emi.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am _fried!_ Lets get to bed, okay?" Emi asked and smiled. Kirito stood, and walked out the room. He turned down the hall, and pulled out the key to his room. He opened the door, his gaze drifting to a small piece of paper someone had slid under the door. He frowned and opened it.

Hey, Kirito, listen, meet us down at the alley on the left of the inn at midnight. DO _**NOT**_ tell Asuna. We'll fill you in on the way, oh, and make sure you have your sword.

Signed,

Emi, Maou, and Ashiya.

Oh, and Lucifer.

See you there.

Bring his sword? And why shouldn't he tell Asuna? He frowned, slightly confused. He took a glance out his window at the alley. He then turned to look at the clock. 10:43. He sighed, and summoned his sword to his hand. If anything… he was curious.

_(hello everyone, I wanted to thank you for reading, I really appreciate it. Please review, I love hearing what you guys think! follow/favorite for more!)_


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